Do you spend all of your free time giving major makeovers to your home and the homes of friends and family? Think you could do better than the current crop of renovation teams? Apply now to appear on season two of Flipping the Block and you could have a chance to prove it on HGTV — and win $50,000!

HGTV is looking for dynamic and handy teams of two who are unafraid to get their hands dirty and flip a house. Think you fit the bill? Pairs of friends, family, co-workers, etc. should apply at www.jscasting.com.

You know him from Brother Vs. Brother and Design Star — now go behind the scenes of the all-new competition series Flipping the Block with producer Loren Ruch. Each week, he’ll share his favorite behind-the-scenes moments. Plus, he’ll answer your questions about the show!

Host Josh Temple With Blue Team Craig and Brian Wellborn

Blog reader DB Coop asks: Which team do you think was the best at listening to advice from Josh, David and the judges throughout the competition?
That’s a good question. In general I think that all of the teams took Josh, David and the judges’ opinions seriously, but John and Whitney seemed to be the most closely aligned with David Bromstad because they won him for the day, so they were definitely on his side when it came to following his lead.

What was it about John and Whitney’s guest bedroom that put it over the top for Scott?Scott thought it was a very thoughtful use of space. Even though it was a smaller room than the other units (because they had enlarged the bathroom), it still felt large, well-planed out, and nicely designed.

How much were the teams able to talk to their families and friends while on the set?They could talk with them a few times a week during evenings and Sunday’s. During the day time they were focused entirely on the competition.

What was your favorite behind-the-scenes or funny moment from the set of episode 5?Getting to see John and Whitney pose for HGTV Magazine was a lot of fun! It gave them a taste of being ‘celebrities’! (Note: Catch the feature in the October issue!)

John and Whitney Spinks After Their Guest Bedroom Win

Have a question for Loren? Ask in the comments below — he may just answer you next week!

David Bromstad is the ideal behind-the-scenes reporter: He’s sweet enough that all of the contestants want to spill all their renovation secrets and funny enough to make you laugh. Plus, he’s full of designer know-how. This week, things got a little tense on the set after John and Whitney pulled off their third Flipping the Block win. David was there to capture it all.

How did the other contestants take the news? Well…take a look.

Who were you rooting for in this week’s bedroom challenge? Tell me in the comments below.

The stakes are higher and the budgets smaller each week on Flipping the Block! Last night, the four duos tackled the guest bedrooms in their respective condos for a chance to win $5,000 and a feature in HGTV Magazine. Some teams went bold (Shauna and Anicka!) and others kept it neutral (twins Craig and Brian.) Meanwhile, Amanda was literally dumpster diving to create a homey, rustic space. So, tell me, which team gets your vote?

If you’ve been watching Flipping the Block like lots of HGTV fans, you know that all four properties are connected on one big lot. But, who lives where? And more importantly, where’s the pool? To help you get a lay of the land, here’s a visual of The Block’s buildings and common areas.

Unit A and B are right on the sidewalk of the tree-lined Glendale, Calif. street, with the garages right in the center and Units C and D tucked away in the back. And the brand new pool? It’s located just in front of John and Whitney’s Unit D. Here’s a closer look at the upstairs layout of each condo:

Which unit has the best location? Which one would you bid on so far? Weigh in in the comments below.

You know him from Brother Vs. Brother and Design Star — now go behind the scenes of the all-new competition series Flipping the Block with producer Loren Ruch. Each week, he’ll share his favorite behind-the-scenes moments. Plus, he’ll answer your questions about the show!

Photo, left to right: Josh Temple, Nicole Curtis, Loren Ruch

What was behind the decision to give the contestants an extra $3,000 to complete this challenge? That was our plan all along. We really wanted the contestants to focus all of their budgets on the internal components of their condos. And we figured $3,000 was right in the sweet spot of what it would cost to properly design these outdoor spaces, so it seemed like a fair number.

Nicole looked like she had a really difficult time choosing a winner this week. What put John and Whitney’s renovation over the top?
Oh. My. Gosh. You don’t even know!! The real deliberation took Nicole more than two hours because she literally could not decide who she wanted to pick as the winner. There were so many good characteristics about multiple units that it was a really tough decision for her. In the end she thought that John and Whitney’s had the most going for it ‘overall’ because there was a seating area, a relaxing area, and some beautiful plants and nature.

Once the renovations were done, did the contestants prefer one patio over the others as an evening hangout spot?
I don’t want to give too much away, but in three weeks you’ll see their favorite common space at The Block, and it wasn’t in one of the individual yards! But, yes, I think John and Whitney’s probably was the one that everyone hung out at most.

What was the mood like on set after the winner was announced?
It was always tough after our evaluations because everyone worked so hard on their spaces. Were the other teams disappointed? Yes. But were they also happy for John and Whitney? I sincerely believe that they were.

What was your favorite behind-the-scenes or funny moment from the set of episode 4?
My favorite moment was watching Nicole Curtis take off her shoes to test out the sand box! I love that she wanted to get down and dirty in her assessing of the different spaces!

Have a question for Loren? Ask in the comments below — he may just answer you next week!

I chatted with Flipping the Block judge and Income Property host Scott McGillivray about his time on the set, how he’d remodel The Block, and which HGTV star he’d love to team up with for a renovation.

Scott McGillivray in the Winning Master Bedroom

Which team’s remodeling approach is closest to your own? Which team had the most different approach?
The team with the closest approach to my own is probably John and Whitney. They’re definitely closest in terms of what an approach that I can identify with. The most different approach is probably the twins, Brian and Craig, because I feel there was a bit of a disconnect between their construction and design.

Scott McGillivray Poses With Flipping the Block’s Blue Team

If you had $30,000 to remodel one of the The Block condos, where would the biggest part of your budget go?
The biggest chunk would go to the kitchen for sure. I’d spend at least 30% of the budget in that room.

What’s the biggest mistake you’re seeing the contestants make in their renovation? What are they doing that impresses you most?
The biggest mistake is probably cutting corners to try and finish on time, which affects the quality. This goes back to needing more planning before the execution. What impresses me the most is how far they could push the budget. They didn’t have a lot to work with, and they made it go a long way.

If you were asked to flip one of The Block condos, who would you want as your renovation teammate and why?
If I had to pick from the contestants, I’d probably pick John. They’re all hard workers, but I feel John has the most persistence and with a couple small tweaks, he work could go really far. If I had to pick someone not on the show, I’d probably go with Genevieve Gorder because I think her design skills and my construction skills would work well together.

So, are you ready to watch a renovation challenge with Scott and Genevieve? Scott returns to Flipping the Block on Sunday, August 17. Catch guest judge Nicole Curtis this Sunday!

You know him from Brother Vs. Brother and Design Star — now go behind the scenes of the all-new competition series Flipping the Block with producer Loren Ruch. Each week, he’ll share his favorite behind-the-scenes moments. Plus, he’ll answer your questions about the show!

Producer Loren Ruch With Josh, David and Scott on Set

What did the neighbors of The Block think about having an HGTV show filming on their street?We tried to be very respectful of the neighbors, so we tried to stay off of their front lawns, and not have crew members be disrespectful in any way. However, I’m sure we drove a few of them crazy because we created quite a traffic jam for about two solid months when we were shooting between our equipment, crew and cameras!

David Bromstad Builds a Bookshelf on Set

John and Whitney won David’s help during the kitchen challenge. How did the other teams react to the Black Team’s advantage? Everyone was really jealous because they know how talented David is. They also were a little bit envious for the sheer fact that they all like David so much. In addition to being the mentor in this episode, he was also our behind-the-scenes digital reporter so they really knew David very well and enjoyed the time they got to spend with him.

Scott McGillivray and His Infamous Notebook

On Scott’s second visit to the set, the contestants are starting to dread seeing his little black notebook. What does he write inside during the judging?That notebook scared the heck out of all the contestants because Scott took a TON of notes about the quality of the work, the jobs that weren’t finished correctly, value assessments of various repairs and renovations, and more. He basically was keeping track of the contestants throughout the season.

A Rare Night Off For the Flipping the Block Cast and Crew

Were there any days off throughout the filming of the series? If so, were the contestants allowed to leave the set individually or as a group?We had Sundays off so that the contestants could catch up on sleep, get their hair done, go to the supermarket, etc. Other than that we were shooting 24/7. This is a fun picture of Josh Temple, myself, Scott McGillivary and our Executive Producer Megan Bidner out for a rare night out on the town!

Do you have a favorite funny or behind-the-scenes moment from episode 3?
This was the episode where teams started to really build momentum because they finally had quality kitchens to cook in! Anicka and Shauna were quite the chefs. They would make steak dinners at night and be the envy of all the others in terms of their culinary skills!

Have a question for Loren? Ask in the comments below — he may just answer you next week!